Toggle iron plug switch



Nov. 4, 1941. PARKER 4 2,430,138

I F IQGGLE IRON PLUG SWITCH Filed Jan. 17, 1946 Patented Nov. 4, 1947 2,430,138 7 TOGGLE IRON PLUG swrron Thomas L.'Parker, Chicago, 111., assignor to The StandardElectric Manufacturing Co., Chicago, 111., acorporation of Illinois Application January 17, 1946, Serial No.

Claims. (01'. 20041) This invention relates to toggle iron plug switches, and its principal object is to eliminate the possibility of the'switch lever stopping on a dead center. In many toggle iron plugswitches, which employ a roclrable or swinging switch lever for opening and closing the switch contacts, the lever is likely to stop midway between its extreme positions. In accordance with the present invention this is impossible. e Plug switches of the kind under consideration are usually used in connection with extension cords for connecting a fiatiron or other electrical appliances with a wall socket, although it is to beunderstood that-its use is not limited thereto. .Other objects are to simplify the construction of plug switches and to, otherwise improve upon their construction.

,With these and other objects andadvantages in view, this invention consists in the severalnovel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth and more particularly defined in the appended claims- I a 1 This invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing'accompanying this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is aside elevation, with one section .of the case removed, showing a simple iorm of the presentinvention; I V T 1 .Fig'. 2 is a longitudinal section taken-alongthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing both sections of the case;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken alongthe line 33 of Fig. 1, showing both sections of the case;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental side elevation of certain of the switch elements showing them in the on position of the switch;

Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof one of the contact pieces of the switch, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a companion contact. piece.

The views are upon a greatly-enlarged scale. Referring to said drawingthe reference-characters 5, 6 designate two complementary, Substantially fiat, recessed case members desirably constructed of thermo-plastic material or any other suitable non-conducting material, In one end f each case member is a semi-circular groove 8 for, receiving the enlarged end of the usual coiled wire (not shown) for protecting the end of an extension cord as is well understood. The two case members may be secured together by a fastening device 35 similar to that shown and described in my prior Patent No. 2,023,095, dated December 3, 1935. The ends of the conductorwires of the extension cord (not shown) are piece 24 of the lever.

respectively secured between conducting strips 9, ill and binding screws El, E2. The conducting strip 9 runs to and is secured by a screw to a contact 13, contained in a recess Hi in the case member 5 and extending into a corresponding recess It in the other case member 6. The conducting strip HE! is secured in a recessl la in thecase member- 5 and is connected by a screw to a contact member l5 having an L-shaped arml5a which extends toward and into a corresponding recess in the other case member. The end of the arm-15a is bent to lie parallel with the open side of said case member and its extreme end is curved outwardly slightly as at l6 and forms the contact pieceforthe conducting strip Ill. In' thebottom'of arecess ll, in the case memher- 5 and spaced from the contact piece I5, is a companion contact'piece I8 which is struck up from a conductor strip 19 which runs along a side wall of the recess to and is secured by a screw to the other contact 20 which also lies in a recess formed in the case member 5 and projects into asimilar recess formed in the other case memberB. The contacts I3, 20 are of the usual construction adapted to make electrical connection with rongs. provided upon flat irons ;or. other electrical-appliances with which the plug switch isused. Y a

The switch lever is seen at 2 I and is contained in companion registering recesses formed in the twocase members. The switch lever is rotatably mounted on a stud 22 cast integrally withthe case member 5. The switch lever has a recessed hub .portiorrzt from which projects the finger The finger piece projects outthroughv registering slots 25, formed in one side edge of the case members in positionto be actuated in closing or opening the switch contacts. Projecting radially from the edge of the hubportion, opposite the finger piece is a small protuberance 26, preferably rounded. Extending through the hub portion 23 of the switch lever along a line substantially at right angles to the finger piece 2c is a straight slot 21, and engaging in said slot are the finger ends 28 of ,a contact piece 3! which makes and breaks contact withthe contact pieces l5, IS. The contact pieceo3l has two arms 29 that extend from .a cross connecting piece 30 and straddle the hub of the switch lever, and their ends 28 project at right angles to the arms and in a direction toward each other and enter the slot. As shown the arms of the contact piece are bent at 32 so as to form a V-shaped contact piece. The cross piece 30 is formed with a lug 33, extending in the general direction of the protuberance 26, around which lug, one end of a coiled compression spring 25 extends and seats on the cross piece 30. The other end of the spring surrounds the protuberance 26 and seats upon lugs 26a. disposed at the sides of the protuberance 26. The lug 33 of the cross piece extends into the adjacent end of the spring and retains it on its seat on the contact piece 3 I.

The conducting strip 9 is bent to pass over the hub of the switch lever, with its bent portion 9a entering the recess of the hub and retaining the switch lever on the stud 22.

The spring functions to snap the contact piece 3| into either its on or off position and to yieldably hold the ends of the arms 29 of the contact piece 3| at either end of the slot 27, depending upon the position of the switch lever. In the off position of the switch lever, as shown in Fig. l, the ends of the arms are held against the lower end of the slot with the contact piece out of contact with the contact pieces l5, l8. In Fig. 4, the contact piece M is shown in its on position in contact with the contact pieces I 5, I 8.

It is to be observed that in the position of the switch lever, shown in Fig. 1, the slot extends at an obtuse angle to the arms 2-9. Whenever the switch lever is swung into on position, as shown in Fig. 4, the spring is compressed and holds the ends of the arms in the lower end of the slot until the spring passes'the arms 29, after which the spring expands and snaps the contact piece 3! into contact with the stationary contact pieces 15,18.

The same operation take place when the switch lever is moved in the opposite direction.

It is to be observed that with the construction above described, the contact piece 3i cannot stop at the dead center, but on account of its connection with the slot in the switch lever, the spring positively moves it from on to ofi position, or vice versa.

Having thus described my invention, it i obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned. 7

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a toggle iron plug switch, two stationary spaced contact pieces, a movable contact piece movable into and out of contact with said stationary contact pieces, a, switch lever having a finger piece and having also a straight slot extending approximately at right angles to said finger piece, said movable contact piece having arms terminating in two fingers guided to move in said slot, and a coiled compression spring interposed between said movable contact piece and switch lever, the latter when moved from either of its on or 01f positions functioning to move the adjacent end of the sprin past the arms whereby the movable contact piece is snapped into or out of contact with said stationary contact pieces and the arms of the movable contact piece are shifted from one end of the slotto the other.

2. In a toggle iron plug switch, two stationary spaced contact pieces, a movable contact piece movable into and out of contact with said stationary contact pieces, a switch lever having a finger piece and having also a straight slot extending approximately at right angles to said finger piece, and a radially extending protuberance on the switch lever disposed opposite the finger piece, said movable contact piece having arms terminating in two fingers guided to move in said slot, and a coiled compression spring interposed between the arms of said movable contact piece and with its ends bearing respectively against the movable contact piece and the protuberance of the switch lever, the latter when moved to either of its on or off positions functioning to move the adjacent end of the spring past the arms, whereby the movable contact piece is snapped into or out of contact with the stationary contact pieces and the arms of the movable contact piece are shifted from one end of the slot to the other.

3. In a toggle iron plug switch, two stationary spaced contact pieces having approximately parallel contacts, a movable contact piece movable into and out of contact with said stationary contact pieces, a switch lever having a hub and having a finger piece and having also a straight slot extending through the hub and extending approximately at right angles to the finger piece, said movable contact piece having arms termimating in fingers guided to move in said slot, and a coiled compression spring interposed between said movable contact piece and switch lever, the latter when moved from either of its off or on positions functioning to move the adjacent end of the spring past the arms, whereby the movable contact piece is snapped into or out of contact with said stationary contact pieces and the fingers of the movable contact piece are shifted from one end of the slot to the other.

4. In a toggle iron plug switch, two stationary spaced contact pieces, a movable contact piece movable into and out of contact with said stationary contact pieces, a switch lever having a finger piece and a protuberance disposed diametrically opposite the finger piece and said lever and having also a straight slot extending approximately at right angles to said finger piece, said movable contact piece having arms projecting from a cross-connection and terminating in fingers guided to move in said slot, said cross-connection having a lug projecting therefrom in direction of said arms, and a coiled compression spring interposed between said movable contact piece and protuberance of the switch lever, with one of its ends encircling the lug and seated on the cross-connection and its other end seated on the protuberance, the switch lever when moved from either of its on or off positions functioning to move the adjacent end of the spring past the arms whereby the movable contact piece is snapped into or out of contact with said stationary contact pieces and the arms of the movable contact piece are shifted from one end of the slot to the other.

5. In a toggle iron plug switch, two stationary contact pieces, a movable contact piece, movable into and out of contact with said stationary contact pieces, a switch lever having a finger piece, and having a protuberance disposed diametrically opposite the finger piece, and said lever having also a straight slot extending approximately at right angles to the finger piece, said movable contact piece having two spaced arms and a crossconnection connecting the arms at one end, and being formed with a lug extending parallel with the arms, the other ends of the arms terminating in inwardly turned fingers extending into said slot, and a coiled compression spring adapted to 5 pass between the arms, one end of the spring being seated on the protuberance and the other end on the cross-connection with its end coils surrounding the lug.

THOMAS L. PARKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of' record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,110,197 Brownstein Mar. 8, 1938 1,795,434 Leppert Mar. 10, 1931 1,516,440 Johnson Nov. 18, 1924 Number Number 

